Uttar Pradesh court refuses to try blast accused for treason

Lucknow, Oct 1 (IANS) An Uttar Pradesh court Wednesday rejected the prosecution's plea to try those accused of carrying out blasts in courts uin the state on charges of treason.

The accused, Khalid Mujahid and Tariq Kasmi, were arrested Dec 22 allegedly with a huge cache of RDX and gelatin sticks near the Barabanki railway station.

The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), after their arrest, claimed that the duo played a vital role in planning the serial court blasts in Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow in November last year.

'Additional district judge Ram Kumar found the evidences, presented by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), to be insufficient for prosecuting the accused for treason,' a Barabanki district court official said.

'The court has fixed October 13 as the next date of hearing,' inspector J.P. Singh of Barabanki Kotwali police station told IANS by phone.